A Weekend Away - Canberra

Last weekend we headed off to the nation's capital for the weekend. I always really enjoy visiting Canberra, particularly at this time of the year, when the Autumn leaves are out in all their colourful glory, and the air has that wonderful crisp chill to it. Usually, when we visit, we head off to the National Gallery, Parliament House (yes, I'm a bit of a politics nerd) and the local markets - but this time the visit ended up being extremely food-centric!

We usually break up the 3 hour drive with a rest break at a trucker's roadhouse (which usually involves consumption of some dodgy servo food eaten on the run) but this time we decided to take our time and check out a place that we always drive past - but I've always wanted to try. The rather twee named Grandma's Little Bakery is located in Collector and sits up on the hill, overlooking the olive groves of Fedra Olive Farm. The cafe is part of the farm complex, and serves generous, rustic and really flavoursome food using local ingredients. It was a gorgeous day when we visited, and eating lunch whilst looking out over the sun drenched olive groves was a lovely way to break up the trip.

The view as we ate lunch 

at Grandma's Little Bakery, Collector.

Grandma's Little Bakery also has a small farm shop, which sells their wonderful olive oil and olive products - as well as a range of herbs, sweet treats and kitchen supplies. I was sure to bring home a bottle of their beautiful olive oil. I think we will be making a stop to the olive farm a regular part of future Canberra road trips. It made the drive so much more enjoyable.

Award winning local Fedra Olive Oil 

which I bought to take home.

Crossing the border into the Australian Capital Territory, you could see right away that Autumn has arrived. The colours of the leaves are just spectacular - shades of ochre, scarlet red, silver and everything in between. We were treated to really beautiful weather for the whole weekend, so we got to enjoy it all in the Autumn sunshine. Nature really is magnificent.

Canberra Autumn colour.

Our favourite accommodation option in Canberra is the historic Hyatt Hotel, located close to Parliament House. It was built in 1927 to house politicians when parliament was sitting, and is a gorgeous example of Art Deco architecture. I'm a huge fan of all things Deco, so it is always such a treat to stay at the Hyatt and revel in that pared down elegance.

The Foyer - Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

We have stayed in lots of hotels in our travels, but the things that make the Hyatt one of our favourite places to stay are those generous, elegant rooms - particularly the luxurious bathrooms, which all have beautiful deep baths and so much space that two people can happily get ready in the morning without getting under each other's feet.

Art Deco Bedroom - Hyatt Hotel Canberra

We have found the standard of service in the hotel really excellent on all of our visits - and I should mention that they also do a great martini in the Speaker's Corner Bar in the evening! The hotel is famous for it's high tea, which is served in The Tea Lounge every day.

Nothing like a luxurious bathroom to make you feel spoiled.

On the Friday evening, we headed into Civic to check out a restaurant I had heard good things about - Temporada. As chance would have it, the week before we went to Canberra it received a really glowing review in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food supplement - so I thought that our chances of getting a reservation would be zilch. Turns out we were lucky and managed to get in.

The food all had one thing in common - knock your socks off flavour. As a starter, we enjoyed gorgeous South Coast oysters cooked on a wood fire in their shells. Just beautiful - and it got me thinking about using this technique at home. Then we moved on to entrees - a beautifully prepared venison scotch egg (with a luscious runny yolked quail egg inside) and a beef short rib roll served with horseradish and fermented cucumber. Sadly I don't have any pictures to share - the place had lots of "atmospheric" lighting which made it impossible to get decent shots.

For mains, Andrew chose the Bangalow pork cutlet with caramelised  brussels sprouts, mustard and speck - and for me a beautiful crispy skinned trout with charred broccolini, almonds, capers and beurre noisette. Both dishes were delicious - served in a rustic, generous way. Perfect Autumn food. We shared a dessert - salted caramel donuts, served with house made banana ice cream and toasted marshmallow. Over the top - but delicious.

Dining Room - Temporada

On Saturday, we drove to Hall - about 30 minutes out of Canberra - to Poachers Pantry for lunch. Poachers Pantry is a farmhouse on the grazing property of Susan and Robert Bruce, farmers who decided to build their own smokehouse, so they could smoke and sell their own produce. The smokehouse idea grew, and now, a couple of decades on, there is a cafe, farm shop and cellar door, selling their cool climate "Wily Trout" wines. The beautiful farm setting makes a lovely place for a weekend lunch, and there is also the chance to pick up some great products from the farm shop while you are there. I bought some of the Bruce's locally made Prosciutto, as well as an excellent Bresaola (salted, air dried beef). They also sell all kinds of smoked red meats as well as chicken and fish. The shop also stocks locally produced olive oil, condiments, preserved goods - and their Wily Trout wine range. There is also wine tasting on site.

Down the road to Poachers Pantry

So, to lunch. I kicked off with one of my favourite food combos ever. Scallops and black pudding. They were served with a lovely fresh fennel and herb salad, and a delicious sweet pumpkin puree. So simple, but wonderful. I enjoyed a glass of Wily Trout Sauvingon Blanc which was perfect with this dish.

Scallops with Poachers Pantry Black Pudding

For the main course, I went for the braised pork cheek with kimchi and lotus root. The dish was served with a rich, full flavoured master stock. The hot, spicy kimchi was the perfect contrast to the rich, buttery pork cheek. Andrew chose smoked lamb cutlets with fondant potato and parmesan crisp - he was generous enough to share some with me, so I can confirm that the lamb dish was rich and delicious.

Braised Pork Cheek with Kimchi & Lotus Root.

In the background - Andrew's smoked lamb cutlets.

My dessert choice was a beautifully light layered green tea and white chocolate mousse, served with gingerbread crumb and yuzu curd. I was really taken with the contrast of textures as well as the beautiful flavours of this dish. The citrus tang of the yuzu curd against the rich mousse and the crunchy, fragrant gingerbread was so lovely.

Green Tea & White Chocolate Mousse

with Yuzu Curd and Gingerbread Crumb

As you can see, there are all kinds of delights to be had in Canberra and it's surrounds. These are just a few of them. We had a really fantastic weekend trying some new places and soaking up the gorgeousness that is Canberra in Autumn.

In other Gourmet Goddess news, we are heading back to our beloved Tasmania in late June. After deciding that we were going to be sensible and save money by not heading over this year (we are currently saving furiously to buy a house there that will be a holiday place first, then eventually our full time home) I ended up winning two return flights to Hobart in a competition. So guess what? We're going. I take this as a sign from the universe that we were meant to visit after all. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Needless to say I will be writing all about it as I always do. Each time we visit we find great new places to eat and gorgeous new destinations and produce to share with you. Can you blame me for wanting to live there?

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Food! Glorious food! - London

Tea with the Queen??

Me outside Buckingham Palace -

HRH was in residence and I didn't even get so much as an Iced Vo-Vo!

When I announced that I was going to spend a few days in London on the way up to Scotland, and that I was looking forward to checking out the food there, a lot of people gasped, clutched their pearls and warned me of the supposed horrors of British cuisine. Lots of people seemed to have tales of either how hideous the food was, or how expensive - or both - and I was regaled with lurid stories of "Chippies" (purveyors of all things fried) , vats of rancid cooking oil, stodgy, bland gluey concoctions, grey mince and soggy cabbage. I certainly arrived in Old Blighty with low expectations. Whilst I had no intention of hitting the posh end of town and sampling the really high end establishments (budget was a factor, so there were definitely no Michelin stars on my horizon!) being a first time visitor I didn't know what lay between a degustation menu at Claridges and a deep fried Mars Bar at the local Chippie. I have to say that I was delighted to find a whole range of well priced, frankly delicious options.

The myth of British food being mad, bad and dangerous to know was blown out of the water for this culinary traveller. I didn't eat a bad meal the whole time and was impressed with the range of fresh ingredients available and the accessability of good quality food at reasonable cost. Like anywhere, the second you find yourself amongst the tourist traps, you know that your chances of finding anything decent to eat drop dramatically. In my opinion, if you eat at a place less than a couple of kilometers away from a famous landmark/monument/tourist spot , you get what you deserve - which will in all probability be something mass produced, overpriced and disappointing. My top foodie travel tip would be - observe where the tourists are heading and then set your course in the opposite direction.

Admittedly, I had a little inside foodie information in the form of my gracious hosts, Mark and Francis - who pointed me in the right direction of what I might like and who also kindly allowed me to stay in their gorgeous home in Stoke Newington. Thanks boys , your hospitality was treasured and I felt very spoiled, having somewhere to really call home during my visit. I was also treated to delicious home cooked Nigerian cuisine, courtesy of Francis' lovely mother (who was also visting) who cooked enough goat, creamed yams, baked fish, spiced fried chicken and delicious vegetable stews to feed the EU. All lip smackingly good I might add - her oxtail braise was to die for! (Even if that second serving required a little lie down afterwards - I ate FAR too much!)

Anyway, I thought I would share a few of my favourite meals from my time in London with you all. Bear in mind that all of these selections are from cafe style establishments, pubs or high street venues - I did not do any fine dining at all. As you will see, there were some great dishes - some that would give a few fine dining restaurants I've visited a run for their money. Here are my top 7 tasty London treats....

Scallops are my very favourite seafood, so I jumped at this delicious entree from a pub on Church Street, Stoke Newington. The black pudding and the scallops together were a match made in heaven - rich and delicious - and the fresh tasting pea puree balanced the dish perfectly and stopped it from becoming too cloying. I really wished they did this as a main course - just three scallops and black pud slices just weren't enough - so moreish!

Hand dived scallops with black pudding and pea puree

The next dish also came from a pub - their house made piccallili relish was perfect with the sweet and salty pork terrine. I love a terrine of any kind and this one was just delicious. The pork was lean and lovely and full of flavour and the different textures - the cruch of the sourdough, the tang and creaminess of the piccalilli and the bite of the terrine made this dish a real delight.

Free range pork terrine with sourdough toast and house made piccallili relish

Who remembers when lamb shanks were the bits that you gave to the dog and that butchers would often give you for free? Well, now we know better than to give this flavour packed cut of meat away gratis and some folks, like the fine people at The Three Crowns Hotel on the Stoke Newington High Street know how to treat their shanks right. And oh my..... do they do it right. Slow cooked meat that literally falls from the bone at a touch, moist, full of aromatics. Lip smacking, unctuous goodness served with a superb cassuolet in a fetching copper serving pot. Pure heaven.

Slow braised lamb shanks with cassuolet

For something a little lighter, this beautiful fresh salad really hit the spot - the spatchcock was so moist and beautifully cooked. It just melted in your mouth.Teamed with the citrus, watercress and fennel, it just screamed "welcome spring!" (which it is in England right now) and it was just lovely.

Roasted spatchcock salad with orange, fennel and watercress

How could I go to England and not have pork sausages at least once? Well, I had them more than once I admit, they were so damn good - and what is it about English bacon? So much better than any bacon I've eaten anywhere! Anyway, I digress - this delicious specimen came from Banger Brothers on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, who specialise in free range, english pork sausages. They don't try and tart them up too much - it is just a first class free range banger in a freshly baked roll with plenty of yummy condiments and a side order of freshly cooked chips with salt and a good dose of vinegar. Very old school and just what I needed to build up my strength for shopping at the Portobello Road Market. Banger Brothers of Notting Hill, we salute you.

Free range British pork sausages with dijon mustard/ chips and vinegar

I love crab meat, and I love it even more when I don't have to spend precious eating time picking out all that sweet, succulent flesh from the shell myself. These crab cakes that I enjoyed not only saved me that pesky and fiddly task, but also delivered the fresh crab meat in a lovely light, crunchy shell of its own. Teamed with a house made pickled cucumber and poppyseed salad, a beautiful saffron aoili on the side and a wedge of lime, it was crabby heaven.

Crab cake with pickled cucumber and saffron aoili

Who would have thought that I would experience the best huevos rancheros I've ever eaten on a blustery grey morning in Shoreditch, London? "Foodhall" in Old Street, Shoreditch is a specialty food store that includes a little cafe at the back and a cheese room 'round the side. It is a also a veritable treasure trove of foodie delights - organic bread, baked goods and milk, a great selection of oils, glazes, wine, spices and dry goods. They also serve the best coffee I had in London. What's not to like? Their huevos rancheros was served with slivers of spicy chorizo, avocado and a char grilled chilli and it was just so, so good! All future forays into huevos rancheros territory will be forever judged by this one. I used to think that my own interpretation of this classic dish was pretty good, (spicy, warming, all those lovely textures) but the "Foodhall" version just blows it out of the water.

Huevos rancheros

So, as you can see, London yielded up lots of culinary treasures and I didn't have to resort to the horrors of a "Chippie" once. Nor did I spend wads of cash to get delicious food. It was all there if you knew where to look. A couple of other delights that deserve a mention (but alas I have no pictures of!) are the spectacular bagels from the 24hour bagel shop "Beigel Bake" at 159 Brick Lane (also in Shoreditch). The constant queue out the door tells you that these people know how to bake a bagel! I enjoyed a freshly baked bagel filled with warm, tender salted beef (We call it corned beef in Australia) and a creamy mustard sauce that literally had me sighing with pleasure. The price will blow you away too - bagels range from about 15 pence to one pound fifty depending on the fillings you choose.

My final recommendation is reserved for what is reputedly the best kebab shop in London (and conveniently located a five minute walk from where I was staying in Stoke Newington) And yes, the store is literally called "The Best Kebab" and you will find it at number 125 on the Stoke Newington High Street. Again, the queue out the door will give you a hint that their kebabs are indeed the best. Frequented by chefs and punters alike (Ainsley Harriot is a regular) this no frills establishment serves up a range of beef, lamb and chicken kebabs cooked to order and served with fresh salads and delicious pickled cabbage that is so delicious. I sampled both the beef and the lamb during my stay. I decided on the lamb option as my last meal in London, and it was a worthy send off. (They even have their own Facebook group full of fans, which I have of course joined)

I will be very excited to explore more food options on my return to London (and yes, I certainly will be returning - particularly to concentrate on some of the great looking food stalls I saw along the canal in Camden, that I didn't get the time to try. And who knows, next time I might also go a bit upmarket and visit some of the swankier food establishments) But let's just clear up once and for all that myth that English food is all heart attack inducing fry ups and stodge. As you can see, I had some fantastic food and didn't have to pay a fortune for it either. Rule Brittania!

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